WASHINGTON — Pew Research Center today announced that it has hired James Bell as its first director of international survey research and Matt Farrey as its first director of development.

Both will fill newly created positions at Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact tank” based in Washington, DC, as it expands its research on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.

Bell worked at the State Department for nearly a decade, most recently serving as director of opinion research. In this position, he briefed senior policymakers at the White House and across the executive branch, as well as Congress and other constituent audiences. As the U.S. government’s leading expert on foreign public opinion research, Bell oversaw both mass and elite surveys around the globe on a variety of topics. His experience spans both developed and developing countries and includes work in challenging environments, such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

Farrey has extensive experience as a development professional and nonprofit manager for universities and nonpartisan public interest groups. He was most recently the director of corporate and foundation relations at American University. He also was the director of corporate, foundation and government relations at Mount Ida College in Newton, Mass. Farrey has served as the deputy director of the Alliance for Better Campaigns, a Washington, DC-based public interest group, and he was program manager for election services at the League of Women Voters Education Fund.

“We’re excited to have Jim and Matt on board as the Pew Research Center expands its research portfolio,” Pew Research President Andrew Kohut said. “Their experience and knowledge will aid the Pew Research Center in its mission to provide the press, policymakers and citizens — in the United States and abroad — an objective, data-driven approach to understanding the trends shaping an increasingly interconnected world.”